It is known to pack cigarette packages containing smaller than standard size cigarettes in cartons normally used for standard sized cigarette packages. This is done in order that tax marking of such packages can be effected with existing package marking machines. To that purpose, panel members customarily are inserted in the cigarette cartons to compensate for the difference between the space occupied by the ten smaller than standard size cigarette packages and that available in the carton, such spacers or panel members also functioning to position the packages within the carton in placements as allow proper tax markings. Representative of the forms of such panel spacer members are those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,489,272 and 3,752,308. It has been commonplace to insert such known panel members in the cigarette cartons by hand during packing in the cigarette manufacturing facility, particularly since these panel forms do not lend themselves readily to automatic machinery effected insertion operations. Thus while such panel members fulfill their intended purpose they do not allow for optimized and economical use of modern high speed packing procedures in the cigarette production line.